Offering clients the latest in apparel styles and fabrics is key for a successful textile screen-printing company. Since new garment styles are introduced nearly every week, it’s advantageous to stay abreast of them to offer your clients all available options.
This installment of the Impressions Tech Tips Newsletter will review the American Apparel HJ407 Long-Sleeve Hammer Tee. It is manufactured with 5.8-ounce, 100% ring-spun cotton fabric. This demonstration will involve printing on heather grey long sleeves that have a fabric content of 90% cotton/10% polyester, the latter portion of which is needed to achieve the heathered effect in the gray fabric.
For those who are leery of printing on polyester, this garment’s 10% content does not pose a threat for dye migration or bleeding. Since the fabric also is composed of 5.8-ounce, ring-spun cotton, it has a smooth and tightly knit surface, which is perfect for screen printing. This allows for easy graphic reproduction of high-detail or halftone applications. The fabric’s tight knit also allows the use of higher mesh counts to print thinner ink films, resulting in a softer-hand print and minimal ink consumption.
Why do we often struggle with some of the seemingly simplest things, like slathering screen-printing ink onto a decorated-apparel garment. Slathering so that it looks clean, bright, opaque and altogether attractive.
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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a secret formula for designing a best-selling T-shirt for a sports team, a business or for your own pre-print line?
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As is the case with any craft, when it comes to screen-printing T-shirts and other apparel the devil is in the details. The best art, the best press in the world will inevitably come up short if you don’t take care of the little things as well.
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